Category: Open Source

The Fairytale of the spectator, the pumper and the police

The Fairytale of the spectator, the pumper and the police goes somewhat like this.

The pumper is pumping his foil on a rainy Sunday afternoon one the lake of Zürich. The maybe grumpy spectator walks by and sees the pumper pumping his foil in the lake where the water temperature is about 5 degrees celsius. The spectator thinks that where the pumper is pumping he should not be pumping so he calls the police. The police arrives and and questions the pumper. The police tells the pumper: we love what you do, we pump ourselves, but if somebody calls the police we have to show up.

There are always people who want to pump. There will always be people calling the police for what seems to be no reason. The police will always have to show up. It is their job, their duty.

Fairytale take-home message: if you have a problem with your neighbour, with your wife, with your co-worker, try to solve the problem in a bilateral way, talk to each other, voice your concerns, if possible without going to court or calling the police. Humans are social beings, problems between two humans should always be solved bilaterally. Try to talk to each other as many times as you tried to learn to pumpfoil! You will be a more happy person afterwards. Agree to disagree.

Happy pumping! Happy socialising!

OpenSource Software and Pumpfoiling in 🇨🇭

Pumpfoiling is gaining a lot of traction in Switzerland. Pumpfoiling is developing into the new Swiss National Sport.

With the sport gaining more traction, there is also more hard- and software being developed.

  1. Pumpspots on Github
  2. Foill Coach App developed at ETH
  3. Racebox Micro
  4. Foilmates App
  5. Python Script for Mathlab iOS App

This is only the beginning.

Software can be free in terms of cost or free in terms of freedom. Free in terms of freedom is what I call OpenSource Software. OpenSource software does not have to be free in terms of cost.

The best example of free and Open Source Software is the Linux Kernel. The Linux Kernel generates trillions in revenue every year. The internet would not be possible without the Linux Kernel. The Linux Kernel is free in terms of cost and free in terms of freedom (GPLv2.0).